Apple Grafting Progress Report. 5.27.19

Columnar Apple Grafts on Bud-9 Rootstock.  5.27.19

Some of the new fruit grafts were quite stressed by recent hot weather.  They were not ready for it.

These grafts are columnar apple trees on dwarfing rootstock Bud-9. They had the advantage of being bench grafts, growing in containers.  I moved them to the shade when it became hot.  I wondered if a couple would make it.  They are looking good.  There is some slug damage, so I gave them some slug bait. I think all of the grafts have healed together, and actual growth is commencing.

Iris of the day: "Overjoyed." And Others. 5.27.19

Tall Bearded Iris "Overjoyed".  5.27.19

This is the last of the irises to begin blooming.  Many still have many buds remaining to open.

This iris, "Overjoyed" has nice form, ruffled flowers with a nice shade of yellow in the falls and near-white in the standards.  It's a very modern look and they came through the rainy season like a champ. This is also nice for a rhizome that I planted late summer / early fall, yet grew vigorously an give a great bloom.

The others have been posted before.  In the dead of winter, I'll look at these photos many times to recall this season and anticipate next year.

Tall Bearded Iris "Edith Wolford".  5.27.19

Tall Bearded Iris "Gay Parasol" 5.27.19

Bearded Iris Experimental Garden Bed.  5.27.19

Kitchen Garden. 5.25.15

Tomatoes, Eggplant, a Dahlia, and Zucchini.  5.25.19

Tomatoes, Eggplant, Jalapeno,, and Squashes.  5.25.19

 Most of the kitchen garden is in and growing.  Two views here show the fenced garden for deer and rabbit vulnerable crops.   The bottom view is the first batch of sweet corn, with temporary covers to keep rabbits away from the tender small plants.

Sweet Corn, One Week After Emerging.  5.25.19

Yesterday I planted a bed of sweet corn "Delectable".  The seeds are from 2018 so borderline too old to germinate, for sweet corn.  I will give them a week or two to emerge and then, if not, plant newer seeds.

PawPaws. 5.25.19

Developing Fruits on Pawpaw "Sunflower".  5.25.19

After an initial quite hot spell, there has been chill and rain.  The vast majority of incipient pawpaws have fallen off the trees.  Counting, about 6 bunches on Sunflower, and 3 bunches on NC-1, although I didn't try very hard for accurate count.

If these stay and develop, it will still be quite rewarding and none will go to waste.  They are almost at that point where I feel confident that these will give us fruit this fall.  Sunflower is doing better than NC-1.

Irises of the Day. "Fresh Start". And Others. 5.25.19

Tall Bearded Iris "Fresh Start".  5.25.19

 Today's "Iris of the Day" is "Fresh Start", a newer introduction from Schreiners'.  It's a big flower, tall stem. Fell down in the rains, so I tied it to a bamboo stick.  Nice color and bright appearance.  Not much by way of fragrance  This is not a "me too" iris in my bed.  No others in my garden look like it.

Among the others, "Edith Wolford" lightened up when fully open, so now is the typical appearance.

"Accent" is a blooming machine.  It also held up in the rain.

New, reblooming variety "I'm Back" has a nice flower, but the stems are very short.  I suspect that's because this is it's first year, and the rhizomes have not built up enough power to make a taller stalk.  I hope so, otherwise it would be culled.  One foot is just too short for such a big flower.

Historic Tall Bearded Iris "Accent".  5.25.19

Tall Bearded Iris "Edith Wolford".  5.25.19

 "Padded Shoulders" is also kind of a blooming machine.  Very nice.

Tall Bearded Iris "I'm Back". 5.25.19

Tall Bearded Iris "Padded Shoulders".  5.25.19

Iris Bed.  5.25.19

"Immortality" continues to shine.  It's almost luminescent.

Later Blooming Bearded Irises. 5.23.19

Bearded Iris "Beverly Sills".  5.23.19

Historic Bearded Iris "Mrs. George Darwin".  5.23.19

 Now we are getting to the later blooming irises.  Soon, it will be back to home orchard and kitchen garden, which I've been working on.

With heavy and frequent rains, and chillier temperatures, many of the irises are more bedraggled.  Some of the tallest fell over ("Red Dirt Road" and "Play To Win").  These might benefit from support next year.

None of the pink ones look that great.  This is "Beverly Sills", one of the most promoted and awarded.  It's possible it needs another year, or a more favorable season.

Of the historic irises in the woodlot border, "Mrs. George Darwin" bloomed.  One fall was knocked off by rain, but the identification is obvious, and it is one that I bought from "Old House Gardens" a number of years ago.   According to the Historic Iris Preservation Society,  "Mrs. George Darwin" was developed in 1895 by Sir Michael Foster.  It's a small iris, and one thing is shows is how far irisarians have come in developing larger, more colorful, sturdier, more ruffled cultivars.  Still, it's nice there in the border.  From Wikipedia, George Darwin was the second son and fifth child of Charles Darwin, and was an astronomer and barrister.    Too bad, the iris that honors Maud Darwin doesn't even include her name!  She was Lady Martha Haskins "Maud" du Puy Darwin, an American Socialite who campaigned for women police officers, bore 5 children, and apparently lived the upper crust British life for the times.

The tall bearded "Edith Wolford" is a replacement for one I had earlier and lost.  Maybe it's still among those that did not bloom yet, after moving to better locations from the woodlot?  I don't know.  This has deeper color than previously.  Since this soil was amended with wood ashes over the Winter, and organic slow release bloom food in early Spring, the growth conditions may be responsible.  I've noted that others are also richer in color, larger, and more substance, than in the past (Immortality and the dark blue one that might be Blue Knight).   Who was Edith Wolford?  I don't know.  I found obituaries for four different Edith Wolfords, and a school named for someone with that name, but I don't know who the iris was named for.  If I pick an "Iris of the Day" from today's selections, it would be "Edith Wolford".

Tall Bearded Iris "Edith Wolford".  5.23.19

Tall Bearded Iris "American Classic".  5.23.19

 Now to "American Classic" and the unknown iris that I thought was "American Classic" but is not.  Like "Edith", this has more color and more substantial petals than I recall, which may be due to the gardening  conditions.  Both were planted last summer, and may need more time to establish to become taller and make more flowers, but this is a very good start.  The other, now unidentified variety, is in the general class of "blue plicatas", which describes the white background and blue edges, but there are many such cultivars.  So far I have not found one exactly like this one.  The closest so far is "Blue Shimmer", via Historic Iris Preservation Society, developed in about 1942.  But I'm not sure that is correct.

Tall Bearded Iris, Unknown Name ("No-ID").  Blue Shimmer?  5.23.19

A Rescue, No-ID Iris. 5.21.19

These iris rhizomes were dumped, illegally, in the natural area where I walk Rufus.  People sometimes dump yard waste there (and also often don't clean up after their dogs, but fortunately not this spot).

The plants were alive but with the rhizomes laying in the yard waste.  So I collected some, trimmed them up, and planted them.

My experiences so far with discarded iris rhizomes is they are usually an old, probably historic type, that somebody once liked.  I think sometimes  someone will buy a home where irises were planted decades ago, and in their neglected state they survive but are not blooming and look messy.  So they pull them out.

It's interesting to see what develops. The older types have a different shape and colors, often not as bright, ruffled, or new looking but they have a nostalgic look that I enjoy.

This is a very non-ideal time to plant them but irises can be tough.  The largest might bloom next year.  Then we'll see what I brought home.

Iris if the Day. "Sea Power". And Others. 5.21.19

Sea Power.  5.21.19

Sea Power.  5.21.19

 Today's iris of the day is "Sea Power", a modern, very ruffled blue tall bearded iris.  I've had it several years but this is the first bloom.  Mildly fragrant.  Nice color, big blue flowers.  Very nice.

I may have to re-label that previous "American Classic".  I think that wasn't from my own originals but rather a curbside pile of rhizomes with a "free" sign.  I didn't know I still had"American Classic" and bought a new one last summer from Schreiners.  That new one is about to bloom, with what appears to be richer color and more modern form.  That brings the question, what is is iris, and I don't know,  I will need to recaption when I'm on my computer.

The others are new photos of varieties that continue to bloom,  It's nice walking around looking at them and sniffing for scent.

Opening Flower, American Classic.  5.21.19

Immortality

Dark Blue Iris.  Blue Knight?  Before the Storm?  5.22119

Sunny Disposition.  5.21.19

Los Coyotes.  5.21.19

Peach Leaf Curl. 5.20.19

Peach Leaf Curl.  "Charlotte Peach".  5.20.19

This is typical for "Charlotte".  Most of the leaves are affected.  Each year, it develops curl, then recovers most of the way, during the summer.  As a result, the peaches are usually few, small, and not very good.  I keep the tree because it's mature and sometimes I do get a peach.

I wonder what would happen if I overgraft part of it with "Cowlitz" peach.  Hmmm.

Two More Rescued Iris Cultivars. 5.19.19

Bearded Iris "American Classic".  5.19.19

 These are two more rescues from the woodlot.  Now having bloomed, I can identify them.  It's a little like going through an o,d closet or attic and finding clothes that are useable and liked.

"American Classic" is modern, developed by Schreiners in 1996.  "Gay Parasol" is modern to my eyes, but also considered historic, developed by Schreiners in 1973.

Historic varieties are at least 30 years old.  This  one has nice color and form, and a little bit of ruffle, but is not as big and lavish as many of the 21st century developments.  Now that they are identified, I'll label them again and move them to big iris bed when they are dormant.

Today while delivering meals, I saw a large, obviously many-years ago established, border of Gay Parasol.  The house  is much older than the 1973 date, so it's possible that this iris was planted there 20 or more years ago.  There were others that I could not identify.  All very nice.

Bearded Iris "Gay Parasol".  5.19.19

Bearded Iris Test Garden. 5.19.19

 I'm pretty happy with how the irises have done this year.  Some are not done yet, but I can see the results.  Only two of the old, rescued clumps were not up to producing at least one flower.  Of the new cultivars, bought by mail order, only one ("Cheetah Cheese") produced flower at all.  I had 2 rhizomes of that variety, and unfortunately the one of those that did bloom was something else entirely.  I also had a new one, "Blatant", that I had bought locally and which was small, dried out, dead looking rhizomes, that I think I planted in October.  I didn't have a big expectation that they would survive, let alone bloom.  They did survive, are growing vigorously, so might bloom next year.   I expect that next year, these new ones may have more flowers, and the stems may be taller because the plants will be more established.

Next I will want to cull a few that are really not worth the space and effort.  In addition, I want to re-combine a few cultivars that are separated into more than one bunch, which will free up some spaces and look better.

I think I want the smaller cultivars together at one end of the bed.  I also want the re-bloomers together, because they benefit from extra care during the summer while others will be dormant.

The main thing now is I get to enjoy these beautiful flowers, and the bonus is most bloomed this year, a year sooner than I expected.

A Few More Irises In Bloom. 5.18.19

Padded Shoulders.  5.18.19

Pink Attraction.  5.18.19

Owyhee Desert.  5.18.19

A few more bearded iris varieties have bloomed in the test garden. "Padded Shoulders" is a newer modern type, very attractive.  Looking at photos of this cultivar, I had some buyers' remorse because I didn't think it would look that good.  Now that I've seen it in my garden, I like it much more.  The coloration and pattern are unusual, and it's a very nice flower.

I added another photo of "Owyhee Desert".  It's a smaller variety, should be at the front of a border.  Even though it's small, this coloration and pattern make it among the nicest.

"Pink Attraction" doesn't look like much.  Holding judgement.

"Immortality" was in my old yard, survived moving here, but suffered when I had a leaf spot epidemic.  I moved it to the woodlot edge and forgot it.  After moving it back to the test garden, it's doing very well. This is just the first bud, of many, to open.  "Immortality" was registered in 1982, developed by Zurbrigg, so at more than 30 years old counts as a "historic iris".  It has the late 20th century flower shape, and is considered a good re-bloomer.  The stems are not as tall as some modern cultivars, but that might be an advantage in a climate like this one where rains can tip over the heavy flowers.  That happened in my garden with the cultivar "Red Dirt Road".

Of these, all but "Immortality" were from Schreiner's Irises.  I've had "Immortality" for so long, I forgot where it came from.

Immortality.  5.18.19 

Cowlitz Peach. 5.17.19

"Cowlitz" Peach.  5.17.19

 "Cowlitz" is the designation I gave to a seedling of "Oregon Curl Free" peach, which I grew as an own-root tree.  It is located in the chicken yard in a non-ideal situation, with a shade tree directly south.  Despite that, it has grown nicely and, in its fourth year from seed, has about 30 peaches forming on its branches.  I thinned out doublets and any that looked too close together, otherwise there would be more.  Some branches did not set fruit.

So far, so good.  After an unseasonably hot week, in May, with temp almost 90F, we had chill and rains with temps down into the 50s.

This tree is not 100% free of peach leaf curl, but has less than any other peach I have ever grown - just a few scattered spots.  Whether that continues will be an observation in progress.

Still, I have optimism that this tree will do well.  Since peach seedlings are often similar to their parent trees, these may be similar to Oregon Curl Free.  I don't know if the Curl resistance is a multiple gene trait, or a single gene, and if it is likely to be heterozygous or homozygous.  There are lots of possibilities. 

"Cowlitz" Peach.  5.17.19

If these peaches are decent eating, my thought will be to germinate some of the seeds either to grow another generation or as rootstock for grafts of Cowlitz.

I've also read about growing peaches from air layers from the parent tree.  I should look into that to see if I can make some own-root progeny.

Iris of the Day. Los Coyotes. 5.17.19

Modern Bearded Iris "Los Coyotes".  5.17.19

 The irises pictured today have some similarities in their color distribution, although nuances of the colors vary.  In addition, the shapes and sizes vary.

I bought "Los Coyotes" about 5 years ago.  This iris is among the rescues that I collected from around the yard last summer, and this is the first time that it has bloomed so nicely.  No scent that I can appreciate.  The flowers are lush, large, and have that classic yellow standards, brushed brown falls that is notable for "Honorabile" as well.  In fact, "Los Coyotes" looks like a tetraploid, more ruffled and larger descendant of "Honorabile"

Speaking of which, "Honorabile" is blooming too.  Much smaller, this iris falls into the category of "miniature tall bearded".  Honorabile was developed by Lémon in 1840, although there is debate about whether the current version is really Honorabile or is a different variety called "Sans Souci".

On to "Accent", this iris is larger then "Honorabile", but the flowers are smaller and not as ruffled, but taller stems, than "Los Coyotes".   "Accent" was developed in 1952.  The falls are more of a burgundy color, compared to "Honorabile" or "Los Coyotes" and the shape is that of a mid century tall bearded iris. 

Historic Bearded Iris "Honorabile".  5.17.19

 Finally, there is "Shah Jehan".  This iris has a similar effect, although compared to the others in today's selection, the falls have a more purple coloration.  The plant is taller, with a taller flower stem, compared to the others.  "Shah Jehan" is significantly older, having been developed by W. Neel in Vanouver, Canada, in 1932.  "Shah Jehan" was named for the Mogul emperor who commissioned the Taj Mahal, and had more than 900 gardens build in Kashmir, according to the link.   This iris does have an elegant look, and might be nice in a larger clump.  With only one flower stem, so tall and ungainly looking, it would not be my first choice in a flower bed.

All of these are nice in a collection.  If I had more limited space and had to narrow down to two of this classic, golden standard / brown or purplish-brown or maroon-brown fall type, I'd go with Los Coyotes for the bigger, brighter, larger and more ruffled look, or Honorabile for the small but very nice, and obviously very historic feel.

Historic Tall Bearded Iris "Accent".  5.17/19

Historic Tall Bearded Iris "Shah Jehan".  5.17.19

Neighborhood Bearded Irises, All Mulched. 5.17.19

 My helper, Rufus, took me around the neighborhood to look at bearded irises and check on my observation that mulched irises are healthier than unmulched irises, contrary to virtually every bit of advice in books and websites.

In this area, the main mulch used is shredded fir bark.  I think that's what I see nine times out of ten.

Around the neighborhood, there are many patches of irises, some apparently many years old and not maintained other than by mulching.  Of the ones that I saw, only the one that shares a photo with Rufus is un-mulched, and I'm not sure about that one due to the thick plantings of poppies and other flowers

 So in the end, the only irises that I've seen with disease - black spot - have been the bare-soil ones in my own yard.  And those are just about the only ones that are not mulched.

This summer after I divide and clean up the irises in my own yard, I'll put down a layer of shredded fir bark.  It certainly doesn't seem to hurt, and appears to help prevent leaf spot and other diseases.

I don't know why so many references state that irises should not be mulched.  Maybe that's the midwest, or other wet summer climates?

There are certainly some beautiful iris gardens around the neighborhood, too.  I have not ID'ed any of them, but they are very nice.